Contact Help Wanted

Oscar 2010: Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to Host Oscar Telecast

Steve Martin in The Pink Panther 2

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will act as co-hosts at the 2010 Academy Awards ceremony, Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman have announced.
Steve Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. He has also served as a presenter several times, most recently at the 2009 Oscar ceremony in February, when he shared the stage with Tina Fey. (Theirs was a very clever bit. Tina Fey, in fact, would have been an ideal Oscar co-hostess.)
Alec Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler.
The 2010 Academy Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February [...]

Oscar 2010: Anjelica Huston, Jonathan Demme, Kirk Douglas to Present Honorary Oscars

Lauren Bacall

Oscar winners Anjelica Huston, Jonathan Demme, and Quentin Tarantino, and Honorary Award recipient Kirk Douglas will be some of the presenters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ first Governors Awards event on November 14 at Hollywood & Highland Center’s Grand Ballroom.
The evening will feature presentations of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-executive John Calley, and Honorary Awards to actress Lauren Bacall, producer-director Roger Corman and cinematographer Gordon Willis.
The black-tie dinner event for more than 600 guests will feature film clips as well as statements from the honorees, and tributes from their colleagues and admirers.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual [...]

Oscar 2010: Oscar Correspondent Contest

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, have announced their second annual “Oscar Correspondent Contest,” which gives college journalists across the US the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to cover red carpet arrivals and backstage activities at the 2010 Academy Awards.
The information below is from the Academy’s press release:

From October 26 through December 18, college students are invited to submit a video at http://oscars.mtvu.com, showcasing their broadcast journalism skills and proving why they deserve to cover the Oscars. All videos submitted must be from teams made up of one anchor and one videographer. The Academy and mtvU will select the top ten [...]

Oscar 2010: Adam Shankman, Bill Mechanic to Produce Academy Awards Telecast

Adam Shankman (right) and Bill Mechanic will produce the 2010 Academy Awards telecast, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak has announced today. As per the Academy’s press release, this will be the "first major Oscar show involvement" for both of them.
Shankman’s directorial credits include Bedtime Stories (2008), Hairspray (2007), A Walk to Remember (2002) and The Wedding Planner (2001). His upcoming projects include Rock of Ages, Sinbad, Bob: The Musical and Bye Bye Birdie. In addition to directing, Shankman, along with his sister, Jennifer Gibgot, produce films through Offspring Entertainment. They are currently producing The Last Song, Going The Distance and Step Up 3D, all set for [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Foreign Language Film

Best Foreign Language Film

Baaria, Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy)
An autobiographical tale set in the director’s Sicilian hometown

Forever Enthralled, Chen Kaige (China)
Biopic chronicling the life of Mei Lanfang, China’s greatest opera star.

I Killed My Mother, Xavier Dolan (Canada)
A young gay man has some serious issues with his mother.

A Prophet, Jacques Audiard (France)
Prison drama in which a young hood learns what it takes to reach the top of that small (and nasty) world.

The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke (Germany)
As a prelude to both World War I and World War II, a German village unexpectedly becomes the setting of numerous acts of cruelty.

Quality (much like fairness) is in the brain of the judge. (Of course, if we’re lucky enough to have a judge [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actress

Penélope Cruz, Nine
A film director’s seductive mistress (if she’s half as tantalizing in the film as she is in the above photo, Cruz deserves not only a nod but the golden statuette itself)

Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
A professional downsizer’s trainee

Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
A pregnant, illiterate teen’s Mom from Hell

Julianne Moore, A Single Man (with Colin Firth)
A married alcoholic pining for an English professor — who just happens to be both gay and suicidal

Emma Thompson, An Education
A school headmistress in 1960s London

The most disputed acting category in the 2010 Oscar race. In addition to the aforementioned five actresses, five others who could easily land a nomination (in case their movies open [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Alfred Molina, An Education (with Cara Seymour, Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard)
An overprotective father worries about his wayward daughter in 1960s London.

Christopher Plummer, The Last Station (with Helen Mirren)
Initially touted as a potential best actor contender, Plummer is getting the supporting treatment for his performance as the elderly Leo Tolstoy. In that category, the veteran actor has a much better chance of landing a nomination. (James McAvoy, formerly in this list for his role in The Last Station, is now in the Oscar 2010 best actor race.)

Paul Schneider, Bright Star
John Keats‘ not too sympathetic best friend Charles Armitage Brown.

Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Apparently, nothing lovely about Tucci in this one.

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds (with Diane Kruger)
Nazi [...]

Oscar 2010: Best Foreign Language Film Longlist

Sixty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 82nd Academy Awards®, Academy President Tom Sherak announced today. The 2009 submissions are:
Albania, “Alive!,” Artan Minarolli, director;
Argentina, “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Juan Jose Campanella, director;
Armenia, “Autumn of the Magician,” Rouben Kevorkov and Vaheh Kevorkov, directors;
Australia, “Samson & Delilah,” Warwick Thornton, director;
Austria, “For a Moment Freedom,” Arash T. Riahi, director;
Bangladesh, “Beyond the Circle,” Golam Rabbany Biplob, director;
Belgium, “The Misfortunates,” Felix van Groeningen, director;
Bolivia, “Zona Sur,” Juan Carlos Valdivia, director;
Bosnia [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Actress

Best Actress

Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
Frances ‘Fanny’ Brawne has a relatively brief but intense love affair with poet John Keats

Carey Mulligan, An Education
In 1960s London, a schoolgirl falls for a man in his 30s

Michelle Pfeiffer, Cheri
An older courtesan introduces a young man to the art of lovemaking

Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
An abused pregnant teen is befriended by a compassionate teacher

Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Julia Child joyfully introduces dead poultry into American kitchens

A dozen actresses — female actors if you wish — can be considered as very strong candidates for a 2010 best actress nomination (as long as their movies open in LA until December 31). In addition to the [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Director

BEST DIRECTOR

The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow

The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson (above, with Saoirse Ronan)

A Serious Man, Joel and Ethan Coen

Up in the Air, Jason Reitman (above, with George Clooney)

The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke

In all honesty, I don’t know who the hell will get a best direction nod this year — though I’m pretty sure it’ll be five of the ten directors listed in my "tentative" 2010 best picture Oscar list.
For the record, the other five not listed above are: Lone Scherfig for An Education; Grant Heslov for The Men Who Stare at Goats; Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire; Steven Soderbergh for The Informant!, and Rob Marshall for Nine.
Unless, of course, Jane Campion manages to [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Documentary

BEST DOCUMENTARY

The Beaches of Agnès, Agnès Varda
Veteran filmmaker Agnès Varda remembers her life’s beaches, sand dunes, sun rays, and more.

Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard
In 2007, thousands of monks took to the streets of Burma to protest the military government’s brutal anti-democratic policies.

Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore
Wall Streeters and the free-market system are the targets in Michael Moore’s latest.

The Cove, Louie Psihoyos
Beautiful, intelligent dolphins are abused and slaughtered to provide entertainment and fodder for ugly, stupid people. The bloody cove of the title is located near Taijii, Japan, where the government does nothing to stop the slaughter.

Defamation, Yoav Shamir
Is anti-Semitism a reality or just a politically motivated excuse to justify Zionism? Or both?

Like other categories such as best foreign-language [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Animated Feature

Best Animated Feature

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Phil Lord and Chris Miller
As a scientist tries to solve world hunger, it starts raining food.

Coraline, Henry Selick
A young girl discovers a new world featuring an idealized version of her dysfunctional family life — and some spooky little secrets as well.

Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson
Farmers band together to get rid of Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) and his family (Meryl Streep is the Missus).

Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki
A five-year-old boy and a goldfish princess develop a close bond.

Up, Pete Docter
A man in his late 70s takes his house and a young stowaway to the South American jungle.

In case there are 16 or more animated features being considered for the 2010 Academy [...]

Oscar 2010: Documentary Short Subject Semi-Finalists

Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak (top); The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (middle); China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (bottom)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the list of eight semi-finalists in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 2010 Academy Awards. Three to five of those shorts will end up with Oscar nominations.
The eight films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner, Just Media
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, Community Media Productions
Lt. Watada, Chanlim Films
Music by Prudence, iThemba [...]

Oscar 2010: More Best Picture Contenders

Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw in Bright Star

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions for Best Picture Part I
Among the top runners-up in that category are: Jane Campion’s period romance Bright Star, which would have a much better chance had its box-office figures been more impressive; Quentin Tarantino’s dark World War II fantasy Inglourious Basterds; Marc Webb’s quirky 500 Days of Summer; Tom Hooper’s The Damned United, about Leeds United coach Brian Clough; Tom Ford’s A Single Man, based on a Christopher Isherwood novel; Michael Moore’s anti-Wall Street Capitalism: A Love Story; and Pete Docter’s animated hit Up.

And here are some more: Clint Eastwood’s Invictus (above, with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon), adapted by Anthony Peckham from John Carlin’s [...]

Oscar 2010: Best Foreign Language Film, Short Film Deadline

The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke (top); I Killed My Mother by Xavier Donlan (middle); Police, Adjective by Corneliu Porumboiu (bottom)

The deadline to submit entries in the Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film and Foreign Language Film categories to be considered for the 82nd Academy Awards: Thursday, October 1.
Complete entries must arrive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by 5 p.m. PT that day.
As per the Academy’s press release, "in the short film categories, filmmakers must submit an entry form, one film print or copy in an approved digital format, and all other required materials by the deadline.
"In the Foreign Language Film category, filmmakers must submit entry forms, [...]

Oscar 2010: Honorary Awards for Lauren Bacall, Gordon Willis, Roger Corman

Lauren Bacall (above), Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis have been chosen by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be the next recipients of the Academy’s Honorary Award. Additionally, producer-executive John Calley will be given the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
Previously, special awards were handed out at the Oscar ceremony, but from this year onward they will be presented at the Governors Awards ceremony. The first-ever such event will take place on Saturday, November 14, at the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center.
This year’s honorees:
Lauren Bacall has one Academy Award nomination to her credit: her stern mom in Barbra Streisand’s much panned (and [...]

Oscar 2010: Scientific and Technical Awards Semi-Finalists

The Scientific and Technical Awards Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 11 scientific and technical achievements have been selected for "further awards consideration," as per the Academy’s press release.
The release adds that "the list is made public to allow individuals and companies with similar devices or claims of prior art the opportunity to submit their achievements for review." The deadline to submit additional entries is Tuesday, September 15.
The committee has selected the following methods or devices for further consideration:

Enabling Technologies for Digital Intermediate (credit to be determined)
The Development of Fujicolor ETERNA-RDI Digital Intermediate Film (Fujifilm USA)
Relighting for Virtual Characters (USC ICT)
Imocap (Lucasfilm Entertainment)
Ambient Occlusion (Double Negative [...]

Oscar 2010: Preferential Voting System for Best Picture Winner

Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert in Frank Capra’s 1934 comedy It Happened One Night (top); Ray Milland, Jane Wyman in Billy Wilder’s 1945 drama The Lost Weekend (bottom). The first and last best picture Oscar winners by way of the preferential voting system.

The winner of the 2010 best picture Oscar will be determined through the preferential voting system, which in the last six or so decades has been used to determine the Academy Award nominees in most categories.
According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ press release, the preferential voting system will be used because it "is [the] one that best allows the collective judgment of all voting members to be most accurately represented." (In theory, perhaps. [...]

Oscar 2010: Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards Deadline

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ has announced that the submission deadline for the 2009 Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards is Friday, July 31. A completed entry form must be submitted to the Academy online by 5 p.m. PT.
In the Academy’s press release, Awards Administration Director Rich Miller is quoted as saying that "the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee casts a wide net when looking for achievements to consider for Academy Award recognition. The achievement can be a device or a discovery, a formula or a method, but it must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.”
The committee, which is composed [...]

OF MICE AND MEN Screening

Lon Chaney Jr, Burgess Meredith in Of Mice and Men

A newly restored sepia-tone print of the 1939 Best Picture nominee Of Mice and Men will be screened in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ series “Hollywood’s Greatest Year: The Best Picture Nominees of 1939” on Monday, July 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The evening will begin at 7 p.m., with the 11th chapter of the 1939 serial Buck Rogers, starring Buster Crabbe and Constance Moore; the comedy short Dog Daze, featuring the Our Gang brats; and Night Descends on Treasure Island, about the 1939 San Francisco World’s Fair.
Of Mice and Men is [...]

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON Screening

A newly restored print of Frank Capra’s 1939 Best Picture nominee Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring Jean Arthur, James Stewart, and Claude Rains, will be screened tonight, July 20, as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ series “Hollywood’s Greatest Year: The Best Picture Nominees of 1939.” The screening will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The evening will begin at 7 p.m., with the tenth chapter of the 1939 serial Buck Rogers, starring Buster Crabbe and Constance Moore, and the Columbia animated short Scrappy’s Added Attraction.
By the time Mr. Smith Goes to Washington came out in 1939, [...]

Academy Invites Paul Rudd, Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman

Viola Davis in Doubt (top); Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd in Role Models (bottom)

Academy Invites 134 New Members
The 2009 invitees are:

Actors
Casey Affleck
Emily Blunt
Michael Cera
Viola Davis
James Franco
Brendan Gleeson
Anne Hathaway
Taraji P. Henson
Emile Hirsch
Hugh Jackman
Melissa Leo
Jane Lynch
Eddie Marsan
James McAvoy
Seth Rogen
Paul Rudd
Amy Ryan
Michael Shannon
Michelle Williams
Jeffrey Wright
Animators
[...]

Oscar 2009: Academy Invites 134 New Members

James McAvoy in Atonement (top); Michelle Williams, Lucy in Wendy and Lucy (bottom)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 134 artists and executives to join its roster in 2009.
As per the Academy’s press release, all the various branches could pick a maximum of 166 new members, but as in the previous years "the several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them."
Most of the invitees are actors, among them several previous Oscar nominees, e.g., Casey Affleck, Melissa Leo, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, and lots of young talent, e.g., James Franco, Michael Cera, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Seth Rogen, Emile Hirsch. (But where are Robert Pattinson and Zac Effron??)

Among those listed in the other [...]

Oscar 2010: New Rules in Best Song Category

This past June 23, the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved new rules for the 2010 Academy Awards. In addition to the previously announced change in the Best Picture category — which will now include 10 nominees — another important change was made in the Original Song category.
As per the Academy’s press release, "the governors approved the Music Branch Executive Committee recommendation that if no song achieves a minimum average score of 8.25 in the nominations voting, there be no original song nominees and thus no Oscar presented for the category. If only one song achieves the required minimum, it and the song with the [...]

Oscar 2010: Honorary Awards Relocated

Unfortunately, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to come up with a new annual event to present its special awards – the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award.
I say "unfortunately" because in my view the presence of veterans like, say, Deborah Kerr or Ennio Morricone, are the highlights of the Oscar ceremony. But then again, perhaps they’ll now find some extra time to add more Hugh Jackman musical numbers for those who are into that sort of stuff.
From now on, special honorees will be selected and announced in September (instead of December); [...]

Next Page →

Recently Posted

• Chicago Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009
• AFI FEST 2009: THE LAST STATION, AFTER.LIFE
• AFI FEST 2009 Awards
• AFI FEST 2009: POLICE, ADJECTIVE; TO DIE LIKE A MAN
• Grace Kelly: TO CATCH A THIEF, THE SWAN
• Grace Kelly on TCM
• AFI FEST 2009: A SINGLE MAN, THE SINGULARITY
• AFI FEST 2009: THE ROAD, EASIER WITH PRACTICE
• Academy Awards $450,000 to US Film Festivals
• Oscar-Winning Filmmakers Mark Jonathan Harris, Tracy Seretean at Academy Screening

Most Popular Tags

2008 Oscar Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Animation Best Films Books Box Office Brokeback Mountain Censorship Classic Movies Daniel Day-Lewis Documentaries DVDs Film Awards Film Festivals Film Reviews Gay Film Festivals Gay Interest Gay Movies Heath Ledger Helen Mirren Interviews London Film Festival London Film Festival 2009 Los Angeles Screenings Martin Scorsese Meryl Streep New York Screenings No Country for Old Men Oscar Movies Photos Political Movies Politics Sex Shorts Silent Films Slumdog Millionaire Sundance Film Festival Trailers Turner Classic Movies


Related Posts

Oscar 2010: Anjelica Huston, Jonathan Demme, Kirk Douglas to Present Honorary OscarsOscar 2010 DatesOscar 2010: New Rules in Best Song CategoryOscar 2010: Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to Host Oscar TelecastStudent Academy Awards 2009 CompetitionOscar 2010: Honorary Awards for Lauren Bacall, Gordon Willis, Roger Corman